Natural Beauty | Eco-Mothering

Review: Nourish Your Skin With Bard & Finch Beauty Products

By Donna DeForbes | July 7, 2015 - 5:00 am | Giveaways, Product Reviews, Wellness

Natural Skin Care from Bard & Finch | Eco-Mothering.com

My awareness of my skin seems to increase in summer, the season of allergies, hearty UV rays and hungry little bugs. I used to throw on any old skin product, usually based on whatever was on sale. Since I entered my forties—and learned more about product ingredients—I’ve become more interested in nourishing my skin so that it thrives for the next forty years. Happily, through this blog, I’m frequently introduced to new companies and their fabulous products. Today I want to tell you about Bard & Finch, a family-owned company on the coast of Maine, surrounded by vibrant finches and chatty barred owls. Their focus? Harnessing nature’s nutrients to create nourishing products for healthy skin. The Importance of Our Skin Skin is our body’s largest organ and often reflects our health. The role of skin involves: Protecting our internal selves from bacteria and other environmental pollutants. Regulating our body temperature. Both … Continue reading →

DIY Solutions for a Natural Summer

By Donna DeForbes | June 16, 2015 - 5:00 am | Home and Garden, The Eco Lifestyle

Beauty Inside and Out: Goddess Garden Safe Sunscreen Review

By Donna DeForbes | May 19, 2015 - 9:00 am | Giveaways, Product Reviews, Wellness

8 Comments

This post is sponsored by Green Sisterhood but, as always, the opinion is my own. The recent beautiful New England weather has my family spending more time outdoors, which means it’s time to lather ourselves with Goddess Garden’s safe sunscreen. I learned about Goddess Garden last year, and it’s been our family’s go-to sunscreen ever since. (Scroll to bottom for details on 20% off Goddess Garden products!) As a forty-something woman who knows about the increased importance of skin protection, I want to avoid sun damage. I don’t want wrinkles and pigmentation to keep me from feeling beautiful on the outside. And I’ve learned how external beauty is often affected by what’s inside our personal care products. In the same way you want to fuel your body with healthy foods, you only want healthy products to soak into your skin—both have a direct impact on how you feel and how … Continue reading →

Safe Living with Ava Anderson Non Toxic Personal Care Products

By Donna DeForbes | May 5, 2015 - 5:00 am | Giveaways, Product Reviews, Wellness

39 Comments

Ava Anderson Non Toxic Products | Eco-Mothering.com

A typical fourteen-year-old likely spends her time shopping, sleeping in and socializing with friends, both in person and digitally. Ava Anderson was not your typical fourteen-year-old. At that age, horrified by an EWG report that discovered dangerous chemicals in teen urine, she began researching the health effects of the chemicals found in personal care products. She tossed her family’s supply of lotions, shampoos and makeup since they were not up to her newfound standards of safety. Unable to find products that were safe enough, Ava and her mom Kim founded Ava Anderson Non Toxic in 2009. The focus: Quality products WITHOUT harmful chemicals. Scroll to the bottom of this post for a $100 giveaway! What does that mean? It means NO parabens, synthetic fragrances, dyes, phthalates, formaldehyde, glycol, sodium laureth sulfate or petroleum byproducts. Why are these chemicals bad for you? Ava’s done the research. Learn what each chemical means, and … Continue reading →

Product Review: Adopt a Healthy, Sweeter-Smelling Herban Lifestyle

By Donna DeForbes | April 21, 2015 - 9:00 am | Green Gifts, Product Reviews, Wellness

3 Comments

Herban Lifestyle Body Butter | Eco-Mothering.com

Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by Green Sisterhood. I received products to review but was not compensated for publishing the review. Opinions are all my own. One of the best things about being a blogger is forging relationships with small, natural living companies that I may never otherwise have discovered. Herban Lifestyle is one such company that makes it easy for us to balance our urban lifestyles with herbal habits. Owner Mary Kearns grew up in an ecologically conscious family and began making herbal bath and beauty products in 1999, selling them at local farmers markets. Her interest in the healing properties of herbs led her to found Herban Lifestyle in 2008 and share her products with a larger audience. Mary has also served as a wellness consultant on the scientific review of cancer prevention programs. With a mission to “make the world a happier, healthier, better-smelling place,” Herban Lifestyle creates products of … Continue reading →

Goddess Garden Organics Sunscreen Review

By Donna DeForbes | May 1, 2014 - 5:00 am | Product Reviews, Wellness

10 Comments

This post is sponsored by Green Sisterhood. As always, the opinion is my own. Answer this question: Do you treat your skin as well as you treat your child’s? The honest answer for me would be: No. Most of my life I made buying decisions based on price and/or convenience. I have to admit that I didn’t start caring much about what lotions and other skin care products I used until I became a mother and began worrying about the potential toxins that could enter my daughter’s skin. When Sofie was a baby, I sought out baby-specific, non-toxic products geared toward sensitive skin… and I still used whatever was on sale for myself. Quality Sun Care for the Whole Family The year that I turned 40, I began to change my tune and realized that I wanted — and deserved — quality too! (Turning 40 will do that to you.) Since … Continue reading →

Product Review: Mohawk Valley Trading Company

By Donna DeForbes | January 7, 2014 - 5:00 am | Nutrition, Product Reviews, The Eco Lifestyle

YES TO GRAPEFRUIT Product Review and Giveaway

By Donna DeForbes | April 9, 2013 - 6:00 am | Giveaways, Product Reviews, Wellness

23 Comments

I remember when the YES To beauty brand launched with YES To Carrots. The designer in me was drawn to their stylish logo and packaging. The nature girl in me was drawn to their veggie ingredients and lack of parabens, phthalates and sodium lauryl sulphate (SLS). Over the years, YES To expanded to cucumbers, tomatoes and blueberries. I’ve been a fan of the Cucumber Soothing Body Butter for sensitive skin and the Blueberry Cleansing Towelettes —the cloths are biodegradable! Their newest line of fruit products, YES To Grapefruit, is geared toward repairing damaged skin. Grapefruit—known for treating infections and depression—is high in vitamin C and antioxidants, those lovely things that protect cells from free radicals. The lycopene helps even skin tone. So doesn’t it seem the perfect fruit for your face and body? Some of the main ingredients in the YES To grapefruit product line include: Licorice Root, which calms and … Continue reading →